Digital Dermatitis in Feedlot Cattle: Field Diagnosis and Economic Impact

Cortés Saavedra, Julián A.

Digital Dermatitis in Feedlot Cattle: Field Diagnosis and Economic Impact

dc.contributor.advisor	Orsel, Karin
dc.contributor.author	Cortés Saavedra, Julián A.
dc.contributor.committeemember	Pajor, Edmond Anthony
dc.contributor.committeemember	Janzen, Eugene D.
dc.date	2020-11
dc.date.accessioned	2020-05-14T17:52:14Z
dc.date.available	2020-05-14T17:52:14Z
dc.date.issued	2020-04-30
dc.description.abstract	Digital dermatitis (DD) has emerged in North American feedlots, although feedlot performance and risk factors are not fully elucidated. Objectives of this thesis were to evaluate two potential risk factors associated with DD: foot and leg conformation and pen condition, as well as identify the economic impact of DD in feedlot cattle. No significant difference was detected between foot and leg conformation in cattle with and without DD. However, pens with “more mud than bedding” increased significantly the odds of cattle with DD (OR=8.55, CI: 4.0-18.4), as well as pens with “excessive mud” (OR=14.1, CI: 5.9-33.8). Also, pens with “more mud than bedding” and “excessive mud” had animals with significantly less ADG (-0.12 and -0.36 kg/d, respectively), compared to animals in dry pen condition. Hence, it is recommended to keep good pen conditions to decrease the odds of cattle developing DD, as it would increase feedlot performance. This can be managed through proper stocking density and strategic bedding, regardless of cattle’s foot and leg conformation. For the economic impact, not all type of cattle with DD were negatively affected, but fall placed steers, winter placed heifers and grass yearlings had a loss between $72 - $98 CAD per animal for the whole feeding period, compared to healthy cattle. Also, cattle with DD gained between 0.11 – 0.17 kg/d less relative to healthy cattle.	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Cortés Saavedra, J. A. (2020). Digital Dermatitis in Feedlot Cattle: Field Diagnosis and Economic Impact (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.	en_US
dc.identifier.doi	http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/37830
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/1880/112043
dc.language.iso	eng	en_US
dc.publisher.faculty	Veterinary Medicine	en_US
dc.publisher.institution	University of Calgary	en
dc.rights	University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.	en_US
dc.subject	feedlot, lameness, cattle, profitability	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Veterinary Science	en_US
dc.title	Digital Dermatitis in Feedlot Cattle: Field Diagnosis and Economic Impact	en_US
dc.type	master thesis	en_US
thesis.degree.discipline	Veterinary Medical Sciences	en_US
thesis.degree.grantor	University of Calgary	en_US
thesis.degree.name	Master of Science (MSc)	en_US
ucalgary.item.requestcopy	true	en_US